Police Commissioners Address Chinese Community Complaints
After Chinese merchants filed a petition regarding unauthorized police searches, the department claimed all raids were legal.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The police commissioners held a regular meeting at headquarters last night, and, in addition to transacting considerable routine business, accepted one resignation, dropped three from the force and appointed four men to fill the vacancies. The matter came up in the form of a recommendation from Chief Rogers. Commissioner Cheasty at this point informed the board that he could not agree as to the action of Chief Rogers and should vote against dropping the men. After the men had been dropped Mr. Cheasty said he had no objections to voting for the new men. Chief Rogers reported that he had investigated the petition of Chinese merchants relative to the searching of their houses by officers of the department without search warrants and had been unable to find any case where an officer had entered a Chinese house without having a proper search warrant.
“Chief Rogers reported that he had investigated the petition of Chinese merchants relative to the searching of their houses by officers of the department without search warrants.”
This 1894 report reflects a era of extreme systemic tension between the Seattle police and the Chinese community. It highlights the recurring struggle of marginalized groups attempting to hold municipal power accountable through administrative petitions, a precursor to modern community oversight efforts.
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